A Simple Kiss
by Hikari Shadokijo
Summary: A simple kiss, that's all it took, to tear a friendship apart... leaving a lone survivor. And for the first time, his story can be told, from the begining to the end.


A Simple Kiss  
a Fushigi Yugi Fanfiction  
~*~  
  
Hikari: noooo it's not a sappy, they fell in love because of a kiss story! It's something that actually goes in depth about Houjun, Hikou and Kouran. It's probably been done, but I have this urge to write it. It's not done as a flashback, it's just a direct story...  
  
*sighs melodramatically* Yeah, I know... for once! My story isn't original... gimmee a break here a'ight? AND I tried vainly to capture Houjun's original personality, before Hikou and Kouran died, but also trying to keep it VERY differnt from the personality he gains after meeting up with a NyanNyan. It's rather difficult. And I tried to make this as REAL as I possibly could, as it remove any possiblities of a gay/bi Houjun... which downright... HURT, but I did it anyway... Yes, I had to do everything possible to keep Houjun from loving Hikou...  
  
~*~  
  
"So, you agree then? My youngest daughter will marry you second son?"  
  
"Yes, now if you will place your seal here..."  
  
A small boy with light blue hair watched with wide eyes as his mother, and two women signed a peace of paper, stamping it with their seals. He recognized one of them to be the mother of Kouran, one of his best friends, and the other was... was.. well he didn't know who it was. "Mama?" he asked out loud suddenly.  
  
His mother picked him up, and raised the boy to the sky. "You will be a lucky man, Houjun," she said with a smile.  
  
"And I have no disagreements of my daughter joining such a lucky family," the other mother said with a smile.  
  
"See? I have no doubts about this match, one of the best in this village," the eldest woman said.  
  
"Who's she?" Houjun asked, pointing at the eldery woman, who's face was a map of deep wrinkles.  
  
"She helps decide your future," his mother said, with a smile, "and what a good future it will be!"  
  
"Will I be happy?"  
  
"Very!"  
  
Houjun's grinned and struggled out of his mother's grip crying, "I wanna tell Hikou and Kouran!! I'm gonna be lucky!"  
  
~*~  
  
"What do you mean you're engaged to Kouran?" Hikou cried, his face white. He gripped Houjun's shoulders and shook him. "When did this happen? Why didn't you tell me?"  
  
The young man pushed his friend off. "Hikou! It wasn't my choice! It was an arranged marriage, decided by the old village matchmak--"  
  
"But do you love her?"  
  
Houjun stayed quiet for a moment. He pushed his blue bangs from his eyes, only to have them fall again. He couldn't find an answer that would soothe his best friend... he loved her, he loved him... he didn't want to hurt either. Finally he spoke from his heart, enough to mask both emotions. "I love her, Hikou. She means alot to me, and I know she loved me back... you've said so yourself. You said, 'Look at the way see stares at you!'. I remember!"  
  
His friend was taken aback. Hikou turned around, away from his gaze. "I'm not angry, just upset that you didn't tell me about this. I guess, I was sort of jealous. You got a great girl, and here I am... an eligible bachelor."  
  
"You make is sound like being avalible was a bad thing."  
  
"Maybe it is..."  
  
"Hikou! Houjun!" A young girl ran towards them, her skirt hiked up so she wouldn't trip. She took the blue haired boy's hand as she reached them with a small smile. "My mother says that she's offering me to your family in a few weeks."  
  
"That soon, huh?" Hikou said, his voice almost bitter.  
  
"Are... you alright?" Kouran asked, reaching out for him carefully.  
  
He shook his head and walked away saying, "I need to... need to... think about things. I'm sorry guys."  
  
Houjun closed his eyes. He didn't want to accept it. It hurt too much to think his friendship was being torn apart by a pact that was made before they even knew the difference between boys and girls, before they knew that love meant. "Kouran?" he asked quietly.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Do you REALLY want this?"  
  
There was a long pause from the girl. She seemed to be thinking about what she wanted to say, finally she stood on her toes and leaned into his ear. "I love you," she whispered.  
  
His eyes widened, and he pushed here away so he could look into her eyes. "Are you serious?"  
  
She smiled.  
  
"What about Hikou then?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
Houjun pointed angerily in the direction their friend disappeared. "Him! His reaction! He hates us or something... I can't... I can't accept that! You both are the dearest friends I'd ever had... and I can't lose either of you!"  
  
His new fiancee placed a hand on his shoulder and looked at him with warm, loving eyes. "Houjun, you won't lose him. Friends like us, just don't break a bond like what we have. It's too precious to waste. Hikou knows that, and he won't stay away for long. He'll learn to accept this." Kouran smiled gently and stood on her toes to kiss him on the forehead. "I'd better go, mother wants to take care of somethings with me."  
  
~*~  
  
"Hik--" Houjun started to call, but his friend disappeared into one of the houses, not even acknowledging the existance of his best friend. He felt his heart plummet at the thought of his friend not even paying him any heed. He took a step towards the home, before stopping and turning in another direction. He stopped short again, noticing Kouran standing in front of her house with one of her many sisters.  
  
"Like this, see?" Her sister extended her arms into the air, and flicked her wrists.  
  
Kouran followed this demonstration, and together the two make a sound with the bangles on their wrists, like that of the rings of a monk's staff. She giggled, and did it again, her sister following barely a second later. Houjun crossed his arms across his chest, watching this.   
  
The girl, with her light purple hair, was one of his best friends, and soon to be wife. A smile crossed his lips gently, discovering that he didn't find it difficult at all, to consider being in love with her. No, he was already in love with her, that brother-sister kind of love, but now... now he had to learn to love her the way a husband loves a wife. She turned her head slightly towards him, and a smile crossed her lips. "Houjun!" she cried, practically tripping over her robes to rush into his arms.   
  
He caught himself before the two could fall to the ground. Kouran had latched herself around his waist, resting her head against his chest lovingly. "I made you lunch so we can eat by the river today, what do you say?"  
  
"Hikou too?" Houjun asked, hoping vainly to patch the relationship with his friend, which was falling apart before his eyes.  
  
Kouran became very silent, and she remained still and quiet for a moment, her breath warming his chest some. "Well," she finally replied, "I was hoping it would be just the two of us."  
  
He pulled her off of him, staring into her eyes. "Kouran... we always ate with Hikou by the river... Why now--?"  
  
She looked down at the ground and said, in a quiet voice, "I want to be with you alone right now. We've never really been alone... just the two of us, I mean."  
  
Houjun placed a hand beneath her chin, lifting her vision to match his own. A smile graced his lips, and he kissed her gently on the forehead, a brotherly action. "Alright," he said, giving in, "we'll go, just the two of us."  
  
She smiled happily and hugged him tight around the waist, before running off to get the food. Clutching a ceramic bowl to her chest, she took his hand in hers, and together they started towards the river at the edge of the town. The two stumbled a bit on the grassy knoll, before settling down underneath the shade of a large old tree. Houjun rested his back against the thick bark, closing his eyes slowly. He watched the water move, gentle yet strong, breaking against the rocks jutting out from the river bed.  
  
"Houjun? What are you doing?" Kouran asked, hovering over him slightly.  
  
Silence... and then:  
  
"This tree is dying."  
  
"What?"  
  
Again there was a calm silence and Houjun spoke after a moment: "This tree, it used the last of its strength to bloom one more time. By this time next year, it will be dead."  
  
Kouran rested her back against the tree as well, allowing her head to fall against her fiance's upper arm. "I remember this tree. We used to play here every day- all three of us. Hikou would climb all the way to the top, you'd never be able to get higher than the third branch--"  
  
"And you, my dear, would try knocking us off!" He finished, remembering how she shook the tree violently.  
  
A red blush crept up her cheeks and she looked away, a hand raised in faux embarrassment. "Houjun... that's a little crude of you to say!" she gasped.  
  
He chuckled, and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. Kouran raised the bowl to him and chirped, changing the subject, "Fresh warm shrimp Shumai! The dough is soft and tender, and the filling was seasoned to perfection!"  
  
"Oh?" Using his fingers, Houjun popped on in his mouth. She slapped his hand playfully before forcing a pair of chopsticks into his palm, and curling his fingers around the ivory tools. "Chopsticks or not," he said with a mouthful, "these are pretty good."  
  
She smiled, and proceeded to feed him another. He caught her hand and gently cradled it between his own. He found himself gradually warming up to the concept of his best friend being his wife. Kouran had changed within that short period of time, from the mischevious pal, to the sweet and adoring fiancee, and although she was no longer the "sister" he loved, she became something more. Caerfully he set down the food, the chopsticks. Both of her hands he held to his chest, staring into her eyes for a moment as if to read her thoughts. He saw it, that pure unconditional love, shining in her eyes. Suddenly he understood, all that time Hikou had told him, he was right. Kouran did love him. More than a sibiling, she trully loved him.   
  
For a moment there was nothing but silence, Houjun doing nothing but holding her face in his hands. She made no attempts to move, instead she was just as still and quiet. He ran a finger along the curve of a small lips, noticing, for the first time, how delicately she was built. He leaned in slightly, pressing his own lips against hers- a soft kiss, nothing more. He felt her shock for a brief moment before instinct kicked in, and she returnted the favor with slight more fervor. He found the kiss comforting, assuring... and right.  
  
Houjun pulled away abrutly, shocked at the realization that hit him with a ton of bricks. He did love her, more than a sister, he LOVED her. "K-k-kouran," he found himself saying, "I love you."  
  
As if on cue, the there was a sound of dry leaves beneath someone's footsteps. The two turned around, and spied Hikou's back, running as quickly as he could from the area. Kouran jumped to her feet crying, "Hikou!" It was at that same moment, Houjun knew... he knew exactly how his best friend felt towards his fiancee.  
  
~*~  
  
Author's note: first chapter done. Originally designed to be a one shot, I decided to break it apart... I didn't know it'd be this long. Anyway, I want to know what you people think. I'm curious about how you think I recreated this. There are ALOT of notes I want to make on this whole thing, and if you want to hear it, say "Aye" if you want the rest of this story say, "Aye" and if you want me to burn it alive say, "Nay"  
  
edit: fixed the bit about Kouran's hair color and Houjun's place in his family. He's the second son. *nods* Right, and elder brother, and a younger sister. Thanks Mysia Ri. 


End file.
